This flavor combination is based on a very popular sorbet (and palette cleanser) that I used to make as a restaurant pastry chef.

The rosemary isn’t cloying or overwhelming…its purpose is to temper (or ‘mellow’) the slight ‘tang’ of the grapefruit.

~ so what you taste…*all* you taste ~ is pure and refreshing.

Crisp, clean, sparkling grapefruit. Prepared with sugar…

Yum.

What I Think:

Every once in a while, I go to the Etsy homepage and type in “tea” in the search engine just to see what’s new with tea on Etsy. It is one such search that lead me to the Etsy shop of The Groovy Baker. In this shop, there is an array of enticing yet unusual lollipops including several tea flavored ones. But when I placed the order for the tea flavored lollipops, I decided that I should also try a non-tea flavored lollipop. I don’t know why I chose this particular flavor, though. There was just something about the combination of grapefruit and rosemary that intrigued me.

And… OH! These are delicious. The first note that arrives on the palate is that of the grapefruit – bright, citrus-y and tangy… but just sweet enough to not be too pucker-ishly tart. It isn’t until a few licks on this large lollipop that I start to notice the flavor of the rosemary. Just as the description suggests, the rosemary is not overwhelming. The flavor begins at just a subtle nudge of rosemary and it does develop but it never becomes too much.

Together the grapefruit and the rosemary are brilliant. Typically, a grapefruit can be quite pungent, and the rosemary does “temper” the flavor. The grapefruit doesn’t taste sour – it is a mildly tart and sweet lollipop. The hint of savory bitterness from the rosemary enhances some of the nuances of the fruit, highlighting some of the flavors that are sometimes missed when eating the fruit.

And I can’t begin to say enough great things about this seller on Etsy. The package arrived promptly, was packaged beautifully and I received free samples of other lollipops that are available. (I’ll be reviewing those here later!)

My Final Thoughts:

The Groovy Baker takes the concept of gourmet lollipops to a whole other level. The flavor combinations are genius. These lollipops are art for the palate! YUM!